Ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and various launch systems appear in footage released by Iran from a large underground military complex that it calls a “missile city.” The facility is located deep within a mountain range, but Iranian authorities have not disclosed its exact location.
Tehran made the discovery of the complex public on November 7, during Aerospace Force Week. The spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, said that the relocation of missile and drone production lines from surface facilities to underground structures had been accelerated.
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According to Mohebbi, the underground complexes are no longer used solely to store weapons; production lines are also being installed there. Tehran’s aim is to build large military-industrial facilities that can continue operating even during airstrikes.
The Iranian official said that domestic technological expertise, Iran’s vast geographical area and the ability to adapt production infrastructure allow the country to continue manufacturing weapons even in the face of a wide-ranging bombing campaign.
In the footage broadcast by state media, senior Iranian military commanders can be seen inspecting facilities where various types of weapons have been deployed. Among them were the Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, Major General Ali Abdollahi, and the commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force, Brigadier General Majid Mousavi.
The release of the footage was accompanied by a warning to the United States from the speaker of the Iranian parliament and the country’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He said Tehran would respond immediately if Washington miscalculated.
According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Ghalibaf urged the United States not to make miscalculations. He warned that, in such a case, Iran would swiftly and unexpectedly take defensive action without hesitation, and that this time the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran would determine the geography of the conflict.
Ghalibaf presented the inauguration of the new complex as a message to Iran’s adversaries. According to him, military pressure will not stop the country from strengthening its defensive capabilities.
The footage comes at a time when Tehran is trying to restore and expand its missile capabilities after its military facilities sustained damage during clashes with Israel and the United States. Placing infrastructure underground is part of Iran’s strategy to protect both its missile arsenal and its production from airstrikes.
These complexes, however, are not invulnerable. Previous attacks have damaged tunnel entrances and access infrastructure, limiting the operation of some of them.
By releasing the new images, Iran seeks to show that it retains significant military capabilities and can protect, rebuild and develop its missile arsenal despite attacks and international pressure.
